1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This present invention generally relates to a weed cutting and shredding attachment for an electric trolling motor including a sharpened cutting blade oriented with the sharp edge thereof adjacent to the path of movement of the leading edge of the propeller blades on an electric trolling motor together with a mounting structure for effectively mounting the cutting element from the trolling motor.
2. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
When fresh water fishing such as when fishing for bass, a specially designed bass boat is frequently used. Most bass boats, in addition to a large gasoline powered engine mounted on the rear, are equipped with an electrically powered trolling motor mounted usually on the front of the boat. The trolling motor is constructed for normally laying flat on the deck of the boat adjacent the bow and is constructed to be mounted from the boat so that the drive motor and propeller are in the water when being utilized and taken out of the water when not being utilized with the change in positions requiring only a very short time. When fishing, the large gasoline engine on the rear of the boat is used to drive the boat to a fishing area. The gasoline engine is then stopped and the electric trolling motor deployed into the water with the trolling motor then being used to move the boat in the selected fishing area in a very slow and quiet manner. The electric trolling motor is usually foot-operated which permits the fisherman in the front of the boat to control the position of the boat while leaving both of his hands free for fishing. The trolling motor includes a housing, known as the "foot" which contains the electric motor having a shaft protruding from the trailing edge of the housing and a propeller, usually of plastic, being affixed to the shaft and thus being driven by the shaft and electric motor. When in operation, the "foot" of the trolling motor and the propeller are underwater and the juncture between the stationary trolling motor "foot" or housing and the rotatable propeller usually includes a small gap between the propeller hub and the housing or "foot".
As is well known, optimum fishing spots in fresh water are frequently found in "pot holes" and these areas are usually surrounded by dense grass, vegetation and the like. There has been an ongoing problem that debris such as weeds, grass, vegetation and even lost fishing lines have a tendency to enter the above-mentioned gap and wind around the shaft. This frequently results in reduced efficiency of the trolling motor and can damage the seals around the shaft which keep water from coming into contact with the electric motor thus necessitating major repair of the trolling motor. While some efforts have been made to alleviate this problem, there has not been developed an attachment associated with the trolling motor and propeller blades similar to this invention.